Botha Confirms Denial of Visas to 2 U.S. Panels

U.S. Ambassador Edward Perkins met today with Foreign Minister Roelof (Pik) Botha, who officially confirmed that South Africa will refuse visas to two U.S. congressional delegations, government television reported tonight.

Earlier today a U.S. Embassy spokesman said the embassy had not yet been officially notified that the visas were denied.

Botha, in a television interview Monday night, said Rep. Howard Wolpe (D-Mich.) was a bigger threat to South Africa than the Soviet Union and declared that the delegations “are not coming” for their Jan. 8-12 visit.

Wolpe, chairman of the Africa subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had planned to visit South Africa Jan., 8-12 along with another congressional delegation to assess the impact of new U.S. anti-apartheid sanctions.

Botha, in the television interview, said the congressional groups told Pretoria that their planned visit Jan. 8-12 was to assess the impact of sanctions measures voted by Congress on Oct. 2.

‘They Are Not Coming’

“I have said they would come-- actually they are not coming.” he said. But U.S. lawmakers who opposed the anti-apartheid sanctions are welcome, he said.

“How can I let them fly by American military aircraft here to my country, just after they denied our local commercial aircraft company landing rights?” Botha said.

Botha, in references to a planned meeting between U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Oliver Tambo, exiled leader of the outlawed African National Congress, criticized Washington’s foreign policy as erratic.

“I hope that Mr. Shultz now says to Tambo what his President has said in public, and that is that the American government will not tolerate the violence of the ANC and the American government insists that the ANC break its ties with the South African Communist Party.”